The Big Cheese
It's tough at the top. After all, the skipper at the helm is the one with whom the buck stops, every time. The one lying awake at 3 am, wondering whether the decisions they've made are going to make or break the company. The one in whose hands rest hundreds or even thousands of jobs. While others may look at their job title or their status with envy, the truth is that it's rarely an easy gig. Indeed, it's enough to make anyone feel blue. (Sorry. Ahem.)
But it's also true that our leaders have the power to change the culture of our organisations - and collectively, our wider workforce culture - for the better. To guide us through the churn and into a more, er, mature phase of operation. To make companies, and career advancement, more gender-diverse and more accessible to disabled people. It's an incredible privilege in many ways. The chance to be a force for good in a rapidly-changing world is perhaps enough in itself to draw people to the top jobs. Here at 9-2-3, we've been pondering this question of leadership in recent weeks - the burdens and the opportunities.
What makes a good leader? How much impact do our senior managers really have on our day-to-day experience of work? And is the movement towards equality and flexibility for all really dependent on great chiefs?
On display
In the drive towards greater equality and a more flexible workforce, does it matter whether the head of an organisation works flexibly themselves?
Probably the most important influence a leader can exert on a company is, well, their own behaviour. It's true, certainly, that our CEOs and senior colleagues are the best examples we have of the culture that our companies value - of how they believe the organisation should operate.
If they're in the office every day from 6am to midnight, the chances are that they'll expect a fair amount of face-to-face interaction from their employees also. If they tell you proudly that they've never left work early enough to get to a parents' evening, then they may require the same from their staff. If, on the other hand, they're working from home for part of the week in order to be able to put their kids to bed, it wouldn't be a huge leap to believe that they value life outside work highly, and anticipate that you will do too. If they are enthusiastic about bringing on board new members of the team on a part-time basis, we might be able to extrapolate that they value experience and the fresh perspective it can bring over hours spent in front of a laptop. If they make genuine attempts to switch off their work phones during the day whilst on leave, the same rules will probably apply to their staff.
They are, then, a reasonably accurate embodiment of our workplace cultures. Role models - whatever their gender. Setters of the scene. If they're actively embracing flex themselves, then they show what can be achieved when we value productivity over presenteeism. And having someone at the top of the tree who's already making it work flexibly can act as a huge encouragement when you're wondering exactly what's possible on your own professional path - whether that's what you can ask for from your own line manager in the short term, or what leadership responsibilities you can expect to assume in the long run, as you progress through your career.
The winds of change
Secondly, good leaders recognise that change is an inevitable part of life. That an employee's circumstances in the early part of their career are unlikely to stay the same for their next twenty years at the company. That at different points, people may have parenting responsibilities, or need to care for elderly relatives, and may need to work in a different way for a period of time. They may go through a difficult menopause and need flex in order to make sure that they're bringing their best selves to the organisation. They may have health difficulties which mean that their best work is done at particular times of day, or in particular locations. Crucially, the best leaders are those who understand that these ebbs and flows aren't a sign of weakness - on the contrary, they're markers of strength. They're indications that your staff feel seen and satisfied at work and are with you for the long haul, through all the ups and downs of life - saving you significant amounts in recruitment, onboarding and training costs in the long term. Successful directors, who carry their people with them, recognise that a flexible workforce is statistically much more likely to be a happy workforce - and, in turn, a productive workforce. Leadership's an important factor in facilitating flex when it's requested, of course. But the best leaders have a more pro-active approach, because they can see that a flexible workforce is a win-win situation for workers and companies alike. That it builds staff loyalty, improves productivity, and reduces staff turnover and sickness absence. True leadership is about more than simply following the crowd. It's about having enough insight to notice the opportunities in every set of circumstances - to recognise that flex isn't a concession, but a superpower.
Letting go
Finally, let's never underestimate the impact of courage in leadership. We'd like our leaders to be invincible, wouldn't we? Superheroes, almost. To never doubt themselves or to shy away from doing the right thing. But ultimately, they're only human. Just like the rest of us, our leaders have days when they're anxious and worried about change. If they throw open the door to a fully flexible workforce, will it be harder for them to maintain control? Will they be able to meet their team members' competing requests for flex? What if they can't keep everyone happy and resentment arises? It can take bravery to lean in - to trust that a change in the organisation's culture will pay off. But it's also true that the pressure is building; flex is now very much expected by employees - and potential employees - and standing still as an organisation is beginning to raise eyebrows. And it turns out that that matters. Most of the job-seekers we speak to want to be inspired. We want to look up to our leaders as trailblazers, not reactionaries. To be honest with you, it's not often that we discuss the timeless wisdom of Henry Ford over here at 9-2-3 HQ, but it is undeniably true that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. If our senior colleagues want to invigorate their teams, on the other hand - to galvanize them, to fire them up, and to encourage innovation - then it can be useful to showcase the same sort of adventurous spirit themselves. To be willing to reach out and share experiences with others in their field, and to consider what's possible. To be ready to try new methods and take the first steps down exciting avenues. The truth, however tricky to hear, is that if our leaders don't, somebody else's leaders will.
Ultimately, leadership isn't always about control - sometimes it's about empowering your people. At a time when the UK workforce are increasingly seeking employers who show that they value their people, and voting with their feet when their quest is unsuccessful, perhaps the best leaders are those who aren't too prescriptive. Who are ready to build the right frameworks and then trust their team leaders to arrange things as necessary, getting the best out of the employees in each department and implementing the best flexible options for those individuals. Perhaps, in the end, the success or otherwise of a leader's legacy might turn on knowing when to let go, just a little.
If you're feeling that you'd like to take your next step up the career ladder towards being a great leader, or even if you're looking around enviously at the working environments created by stellar leaders elsewhere, perhaps now's the time to get in touch. We're lucky enough to work with fantastic, innovative and courageous leaders every day. We'd love to be part of your journey towards joining their ranks.